Colorado

Come with me on a lightening tour of one of the most scenic parts of one of the most scenic states in the U.S.: Northwestern Colorado. In the company of expert guide and Colorado resident Diana Carey from Colorado Tourism, we started the trip in Denver, drove north to Boulder and on to Fort Collins, westwards into the mountains through Rocky Mountain National Park to the Drowsy Waters Dude Ranch, west again through the Glenwood Canyon of the Colorado River to Glenwood Springs, up the Roaring Fork valley to the glamorous mountain resort of Aspen, following the Colorado River further west to the oasis valley of Grand Junction, and finally on to the breathtaking splendor of the Colorado National Monument. For find out more about Colorado and for great vacation planning tools – visit www.colorado.com/

Denver, Colorado

The Green City. Denver truly is green. Not only in the literal sense, with great open-space parks and gardens, but also in the save-the-planet sense of environmentally friendly. Everywhere we went in this buzzing metropolis of 2.5 million people, this was in evidence – from the solar panels and alternative energy systems on the roof of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science www.dmns.org/ to the menus of the innovative restaurants such as Root Down www.rootdowndenver.com/ . Scott Morrisey at Greenprint Denver explained in an interview at Denver City and County Building (top) how this city environmental stewardship engages the community and positively impacts the visitor. I enjoyed the dinosaurs at the Museum of Nature (middle) – also see www.chrisrobinsontravelshow.ca , the Western art at the Denver Art Museum www.denverartmuseum.org/ and the bookstores and Western shops that line the 16th Street Mall (bottom). Brown Palace Hotel www.brownpalace.com/ is the place to stay, a gorgeous “flat iron” building dating from 1892 and featuring a soaring atrium with stained-glass roof. Denver is a great city for visitors and I left plenty more sights to see next time I’m there! www.visitdenver.com/

Boulder, Colorado

Boulder http://www.bouldercoloradousa.com/ is only 50km from Denver, but is a total contrast. Nestled up against the mountains, Boulder has 30,000 acres of open space, 56 Parks and more bicycles than people. I met up with a ranger at Chautauqua Open Space trail-head, part of a vast protected area set up in the 1890’s to preserve the mountain back drop http://www.bouldercolorado.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2996&Itemid=1035 . The hike in the foothills was sparkling (top) and the meadows were ablaze with the spring wild flowers (middle). After lunch at The West End Tavern www.thewestendtavern.com/ , we explored the Pearl Street Mall (bottom) which is the downtown pulse of Boulder, pedestrianized and full of eclectic shopping opportunities. Up in the hills above town we met up with Tim Barnes at the National Center for Atmospheric Research to learn about weather, climate and global warming – fascinating stuff! www.ncar.ucar.edu/

Fort Collins

Fort Collins http://www.visitftcollins.com/ is home of Colorado State University with its beautiful campus (top) and the Community Foundation of Northern Colorado which has created UniverCity Connections to bring together the city, the university and the pristine Poudre River in a green development that was explained to me over dinner by Doug Johnson at the first class Jay’s Bistro http://www.jaysbistro.net/ . I was beginning to discover the fabulous cuisine in Colorado – with delicious pairings of unusual flavours and a strong emphasis on fresh local produce – some restaurants are even starting to have their own farms. The Armstrong Hotel http://www.thearmstronghotel.com/ on South College Avenue was a comfortable spot in downtown. The next day I met up with Brad Modessitt of Mountain Whitewater Descents http://www.mountainwhitewaterdescents.com/ who takes visitors whitewater rafting on the Poudre River, Colorado’s only ‘Wild and Scenic River’ and then went on to the state’s best known brewery, New Belgium Brewing, a showcase for sustainable business initiatives http://www.newbelgium.com/ . The tour was fun, the barrels were huge (middle) and the tasting was terrific! (bottom)

Rocky Mountain National Park

From the urban delights of Colorado’s cities to the stunning natural grandeur of one of America’s most breath-taking National parks…It’s only a short drive from Fort Collins to Estes Park at the eastern park entrance. After a briefing from Kyle Patterson at the Park HQ, we set off on one of the most awe-inspiring roads I have experienced. Up, up, up over 12,000 feet into the Rocky Mountain National Park http://www.nps.gov/ on the highest highway in North America, with tempting hikes at every turn (top). Crossing the Continental Divide at Milner Pass (middle) where snow lingers into June and then down into the headwaters of the soon-to-be-mighty Colorado River, where scruffy elk were sloughing their winter coats. (bottom)

Drousy Water Dude Ranch

Near the western edge of the National Park, tucked away up a peaceful side-valley, we arrived at the Drousy Water Dude Ranch as the evening sunshine gilded the valley in liquid gold (top). For over 70 years this 600 acre family-run ranch has offered warm Western hospitality in an idyllic setting. The ranch-house (second), the barns (third) and the horses themselves were almost too perfect. Ken and Randy-Sue Fosha, the delightful owners, preside over a great team and after a good meal and energetic line dancing in the barn, I slept soundly in a pretty cottage beside the babbling brook. Check out their website at http://www.drowsywater.com/ and you’ll be hooked too!

Glenwood Springs

The drive west through the Glenwood Canyon beside the Colorado River is spectacular and it took us to the town of Glenwood Springs from where we rode the gondola tram up to Glenwood Springs Caverns Adventure Park www.glenwoodcaverns.com to meet Steve Beckley, the owner of this family attraction. He has transformed a Victorian show cave into a bundle of cave tours, wild rides, 4D theatre experience (moving seats, surround sound and special effects!) and educative activities that delight visitors of all ages. I rode the Canyon Flyer (top), the first Alpine coaster in the U.S. and then was launched on Swing Shot (middle) 1,300 feet above the roaring Colorado River. The highlight for me was exploring the caverns themselves with Steve (bottom) who has extended the cave system here for thousands of feet into the mountain depths.

Aspen

Aspen www.aspenchamber.org is memorably situated in a mountain bowl up the Roaring Fork Valley from Glenwood. It’s the epitome of Colorado: chic, hip and happening in town with a fabulous four season outdoorsy back yard that includes some of the best skiing out there in winter and sublime mountain hiking, biking and views in summer. We ascended Aspen Mountain (top) to drink in the views of the surrounding snow capped Rockies at 11,200 elevation, explored the Colorado mountain icons of the Maroon Bells in their Shangri-la valley (middle) and broadcasted my weekly radio Travel Shows from the Little Nell Hotel www.thelittlenell.com at the base of Aspen Mountain in the lively company of Alex de L’Arbre (bottom). We stayed at the Hotel Jerome, hoteljerome.rockresorts.com/ a lovingly restored and ornate Victorian luxury hotel that still boasts the first elevator west of the Mississippi!

Grand Junction

Following the Colorado River, now a brown torrent, through canyons becoming familiar from many a Western film and more and more desert-like, we suddenly shot out into the green oasis of the Grand Valley and the town of Grand Junction www.visitgrandjunction.com/ . The juxtaposition of the lush vineyards and the arid desert buttes and mesas is amazing (top). This is the heart of Colorado wine country, so naturally we had to tour and sample a few! We toured Plum Creek Cellars www.plumcreekwinery.com/ (middle), Canyon Wind www.canyonwindcellars.com/ and Varaison Vineyards www.varaisonvineyards.com/ where Alex educated us on the wines in a lively and fun style (bottom). To compliment the excellent wines, we dined in style at 626 on Rood www.626onrood.com/ and enjoyed the hospitality of the Grand Vista Hotel www.grandvistahotel.com/ .

Colorado National Monument

The Grand Finale of our trip was indeed Grand: just outside of Grand Junction is the Colorado National Monument www.nps.gov/ . It’s a 23,000 acre wonderland of shadowed canyons, soaring rock pillars and almost two billion years of earth history carved in sandstone. Jennifer Grossheim Harris from Grand Junction CVB guided us along Rim Rock Drive, a road through the Monument whose every twist and turn reveals a stunning vista, an inviting trail, a patchwork glory of light and shadows cast on the awesome scenery. As I sat on the edge of a canyon breathing in the solitude of this spectacular place, I understood why Colorado calls to so many visitors in so many different ways. Heed the call and plan a trip to this heart of the American West.

Manta at SeaWorld Orlando

The big new thrill ride in Orlando this summer is Manta at SeaWorld. As listeners to my radio shows know only too well, I’m a big kid when it comes to this kind of thing, so I was delighted when I was invited to come and experience Manta a week after its official opening. You spin, glide, skim and soar like a giant ray on this unique ride…and you do it all face down, as you are rotated 90 degrees to face the ground right at the start! The close encounters with a waterfall and the waters of the Manta Aquarium at 100 km/hr just add to the excitement. And that Aquarium is a wonderful twin to the ride, adding an educational element and solace for the little ones too young for the ride experience.

SeaWorld Shows

Whilst in SeaWorld I caught up with three of the fabulous shows featured in the park. ‘Believe’ in the Shamu Stadium (top) showcases mighty killer whales in an awesome spectacle. ‘Alure The Call of the Ocean’ in the Nautilus Theater (middle) mixes birds, acrobats and dolphins in a mesmerizing tour de force. And ‘Clyde and Seamore Take Pirate Island’ at the Sea Lion and Otter Stadium (bottom) is just plain good fun! It’s all an ingenious combination of entertainment and education for visitors of all ages.